How to Verify French eIDAS PDF Signatures

Upload your signed PDF document to pdfsigncheck.com. We extract the PKCS#7 envelope, compute cryptographic SHA-256 integrity checkmarks, and verify the QTSP issuer in seconds.

1. What is the French Digital Signature Framework?

In France, electronic signatures are regulated under the European **eIDAS Regulation (EU No 910/2014)**. This framework is supervised nationally by the **ANSSI** (Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d'information).

Under eIDAS, signatures are categorized into three levels: Simple Electronic Signatures (SES), Advanced Electronic Signatures (AdES), and Qualified Electronic Signatures (QES - *signature électronique qualifiée*). QES signatures require face-to-face (or equivalent remote) identity verification and are backed by a qualified signature creation device (QSCD).

2. French Certifying Authorities & QTSPs

Qualified electronic signatures in France must be generated using certificates issued by an accredited **Qualified Trust Service Provider (QTSP)**. These providers are registered on the French national Trusted List (*Liste de confiance*), which is incorporated into the EU Trusted List (EUTL).

Key French providers include:

• Yousign: A major French platform providing eIDAS-compliant digital signature solutions.
• ChamberSign France: The certifying authority of the French Chambers of Commerce.
• Certigna: An accredited QTSP widely used for corporate and government certifications.
• Docaposte & Lex Persona: Popular solutions for public sector contracts and administrative documents.

3. How to Verify French Digital Signatures on pdfsigncheck.com

PDF SignCheck offers a secure, in-memory validation service to verify French certificates and document integrity:

1. Upload signed PDF:Drag and drop your French contract or official certificate (*Acte d'état civil*) into the upload box.
2. Extract CMS Wrapper: The verifier decodes the PDF structure to parse the embedded PKCS#7 digital signature.
3. Verify Hash Integrity: It computes the SHA-256 digest over the signed bytes to ensure that the document has not been altered since it was sealed.
4. Display Certificate Metadata:The tool details the signer's name, organization, issuing QTSP, and country of origin.

4. French Legal Framework & Civil Status Documents

Digital signatures are legally recognized under **Article 1367 of the French Civil Code** (*Code civil*):

• Legal Equivalence: An electronic signature has the same legal value as a handwritten signature, provided the signer can be reliably identified and the document integrity is secured.
• Administrative & Civil Documents: In France, municipal registries issue digitally signed civil certificates (birth, marriage, death certificates). These certificates carry cryptographic seals that must remain intact to be accepted by administrative bodies.
• Admissibility: A Qualified Electronic Signature (QES) provides a presumption of authenticity in French courts of law.

5. Trusted Root Verification (ANSSI & EUTL)

When a PDF is signed by a French QTSP, the signer's certificate resolves to root anchors managed under the EU Trusted List (EUTL) and audited by ANSSI.

Because standard browser PDF viewers do not check the EUTL root anchors automatically, they often fail to display the validation status. PDF SignCheck extracts and displays the issuer name and root paths, giving users a clear view of the document's cryptographic audit trail.

6. Troubleshooting & FAQs